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Roman Torchwick
Roman Torchwick is a character in the world of RWBY and a secondary antagonist. He makes cameo in the "Yellow" Trailer and is introduced properly in the first episode, orchestrating and participating in the robbery of a store, the target objective of which was its supply of Dust, which was ultimately foiled by Ruby Rose. Appearance Roman has slanted dark green eyes and bright orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. He wears a black bowler hat with a red band, and has black eyeshadow around his eyes. Noticeably, he has extremely long eyelashes. Roman wears a red-collared white suit and a small gray scarf. He has black gloves with rounded sleeves, and has long black pants and black shoes. Personality Roman's personality is a mixture between that of a formal gentleman and a ruthless criminal. He affects charm and speaks calmly even in the middle of an armed robbery but also demonstrates a ruthless streak, evidently being willing to use lethal force on Ruby when she foiled his scheme. This kind of personality is common in sociopaths, people who are able to act extremely sweet and deceivingly kind while still committing evil acts. Judging by his elaborate outfit and accessories, Roman also has expensive tastes: a common stereotype of Mafia Dons and other organized crime kingpins. Despite working with the White Fang, he appears to have no respect for them or the Faunus in general. On several occasions he talks to them in a derogatory fashion, referring to them as though they are just animals, even going out in offending them. It is unclear if this is representative of hostility towards the Faunus in general or him acting out his frustrations of having to work with the group, perhaps because he does not like being ordered around by Cinder Fall and her associates. He is also not above mocking, taunting and insulting his enemies, as seen when when he called out to Blake, saying, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty," as well as when he responded to Ruby's appearance by saying, "Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" Abilities Piloting: Roman appears to be a skilled pilot, being able to keep a large transport airship relatively stable while being bombarded with attacks. Fighting: Roman fights using his signature cane-cannon. In the first episode he did manage to hold off Ruby. As of Black and White, Roman is shown to be quite adept in using his cane as a weapon to fend off swords. He was able to fend himself long enough against Blake and Sun alone without any assistance and could even deflect their attacks, such as using the cane to hook Blake towards him or lower her defenses long enough to deliver a punch. In fact, Roman came close to overpowering Blake, having gotten far enough to knock her to the ground and temporarily disarm her; she was saved by Sun, however, and Sun proved to be able to stand his ground against Roman. He also seems to have exceptional accuracy, by which he was able to hit Ruby with a blast from his cane from a considerable distance, as well as impressive reflexes, as he was capable of defending himself against attacks from Blake and Sun, both extremely swift, dual-wielding opponents, with his single weapon. He is also capable of handling Blake in a fight despite her use of "after-images", with him remaining perfectly aware of her position and movements during the engagement, quickly countering her attacks. Planning: Roman appears to be some sort of criminal mastermind. So far, the one attempt to rob a Dust shop seen on screen has failed. Yet by the eight episode he has recovered from this and got his hold on more Dust, showing that his nefarious scheming is something to be reckoned with. Even more so as by Players and Pieces he is planning a heist, an attack or something similar, targeting the entire region of Vale. Trivia *Roman Torchwick's design is based off the Pinocchio character Candlewick. Candlewick's original name was Romeo, which is similar to Roman. Roman's red hair, hat, and cigar specifically resemble Candlewick's appearance in Disney's film adaptation of Pinocchio named Lampwick. **In addition, similar to Roman's cane, Lampwick is often depicted holding a pool stick. *Roman's appearance is also very similar to that of Alex from the film A Clockwork Orange. Whether there are any further similarities between the two is yet to be seen, though his "Dangerous Gentleman" personality may be one of them. **The same could be said about Roman looking similar to Phantom R from Rhythm Thief and the Emporer's Treasure **He also bears some similarities to Reaver, the character from the Fable videogame franchise, both in appearance and personality. His extravagant taste in outfits and the cane that he uses as a weapon, plus his penchant for ranged attacks over melee combat, mark some such similarities, with his relatively gentlemanly but egocentric personality and his criminal tendencies adding more validity to this comparison. *Roman's name and weapon could relate to the famous Roman candle firework, which ejects multiple pyrotechnic stars and are illegal in some countries. Also, Roman's weapon fires a blast that resembles a firework. **Given the penchant for wordplay that Roosterteeth exhibited in Red vs. Blue, this possible allusion is not too unlikely. *Roman's name may also have a connection to the root word: Rome, due to that city's amoral bent for power and conquest in ancient times, not dissimilar to Roman Torchwick's personality. *Roman calls Ruby by the name "Red," a possible reference to the fact that she is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood. *In Episode 1, after one of the henchmen is flung next to his feet, he remarks, "You were worth every cent, truly you were," implying that the interaction between him and Junior in the "Yellow" Trailer was Roman hiring Junior's men for the robbery. Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Human